Celtics Rookie Jaylen Brown Looks Up To LeBron James; Plays Well Against Him In First Career Start

Although the Celtics lost 128-122 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, rookie Jaylen Brown made a positive impression on LeBron James in his first NBA start.

The 20-year-old small forward, selected No. 3 overall in the 2016 Draft out of California, did not know he would be starting until the day of the game.

Celtics small forward Jae Crowder suffered an ankle injury the night before and Brown was the next man up.

One can assume it would be nerve-wracking enough to make a first career NBA start against any opponent, let alone going on the road against LeBron.

The rookie was only seven years old when LeBron made his NBA debut.

Brown went above and beyond what was expected of him, scoring 19 points and helping to keep the game close in the fourth quarter.

Brown was asked about talking to LeBron after the final buzzer and here’s what he had to say:

“He just said he’ll see me down the road.

He said good job, and he said some other things I ain’t gonna mention,” Brown said with a laugh.

“See, I respect LeBron not just on the floor but off. Just what he does off the floor donating to inner city kids, how he handles himself.

He’s never been in trouble with the law or anything like that.

He’s just a great role model for somebody like me and I watched him growing up and he’s kind of shaped how I am now, just off the floor how he moves, so just how I respect him on the floor I respect him even more off.

He’s a great role model.”

The game may have gone down in the loss column for Brown and the Celtics, but it’s certainly an unforgettable memory for the rookie.

The Celtics and their fans had to come away feeling positive about it, too, considering they were missing three key players and received a great night from their top draft pick.